Neil Aspin praises Vale fans after trip to Barnet

Manager Neil Aspin said it was “tremendous to get some supporters down at Barnet” last night, just three days after travelling to Grimsby.

The gaffer was full of appreciation for the travelling fans, who saw the Valiant’s fight back to earn a precious point, after falling behind to Barnet after just four minutes to a Nicholls tap in.

The point moves Vale up to 18th, and seven points off the relegation zone. After travelling 570 miles within three days, Neil Aspin wanted to thank the fans for their fantastic support.

“There was a small crowd in terms of the home numbers, but to go to Grimsby and then come all the way down to Barnet on a Tuesday on a rearranged game, it’s a great testament to our supporters.

“I wasn’t aware, because you know I do the press and then I got on the bus late, that their bus had broken down for the supporters who had came down, it makes it an even longer night ao hopefully everyone got home safely.

“I think it’s difficult for supporters when they haven’t gone anything to shout about, they’ve had a really poor season. We’ve got to make sure we can give them something to cheer about on Saturday and get behind us for the rest of the games”.

Having taken a point from both fellow relegation contenders Grimsby and Barnet, Aspin admitted he was disappointed to not take all three points from both fixtures.

A last minute equaliser from Grimsby at the weekend, and an early strike last night prevented Vale from collecting maximum points, but the gaffer says he has been encouraged by the past few performances.

“It was very important we didn’t lose either of those games, and the two performances have been encouraging. We obviously got off to a really bad start last night, the worst possible start you could get in a game like that.

“I thought the players showed good character, they didn’t panic, they kept playing and fully deserved to get back into the game.

“Yes we know we desperately need a win to give everyone a lift, but the most important thing was we haven’t lost to either Grimsby or Barnet.”